Mayor’s Cup football tourney...GDF dominate Stewartville/ Slingerz take honours via penalty shootout

Mayor’s Cup football tourney…GDF dominate Stewartville/ Slingerz take honours via penalty shootout

Mar 19, 2013 Sports

A far improved audience was treated to two top class encounters when the Mayor’s Cup football championship continued at the Den Amstel Community Centre Ground Sunday evening last and when the smoke had cleared the Guyana Defence Force had established their dominance over Stewartville 4-1 shortly before Slingerz FC sent Northern Rangers packing 4-2 on penalty kicks.
With the cool Atlantic breeze behind them, the GDF players, noted for their roughhouse tactics attacked relentlessly from the first whistle and were duly rewarded fifteen minutes into the game when Quincy Craig received an offering and with only the goalie to contend with tucked the ball to the left corner of the goal.

Quincy Craig (left) dominated the scoring for the GDF with support from Sherwin Caesar and Delwin Fraser (center and left respectively).

Clearly the stronger team, GDF pressured the Stewartville lads into several errors and it was after one of these, in the 35th minute that Craig widened the margin for the soldiers after dribbling past the Stewartville’s defence. Despite strong efforts by the Stewartville team, the score remained untouched and the players went in at the halfway point with the GDF enjoying a 2 nil lead.
The army upped the ante at the start of the second session and when Warren Gilkes collected a pass and sprinted to Stewartville’s berth it looked like a sure goal. Challenged by the dexterity of the soldier, one of Stewartville’s defence players, with no other means of checking the charging striker, opted for dangerous play inside the box prompting the referee to award a penalty to the army. Craig took the shot and his team mates watched in dismay as Stewartville’s ‘keeper’ scooped up his tame misdirected kick.
Marlon Benjamin, usually the Army’s marksman, was also guilty of a misdirected strike after collecting a pass squarely in front of the goal.
Of all the goals scored for the night, Kwami Hyman’s took the prize for being the most fantastic. The Stewartville player struck the ball but instead of holding on to it, the GDF custodian opted to kick the ball back into play. Hyman latched onto it once again and despite having to contend with the GDF’s stiff defensive lineup, effortlessly weaved his way forward and this time ensured that he placed it well. It proved to be the only success for Stewartville as Sherwin Caesar and Delwin Fraser widened the GDF lead in the 61st and 89th minutes to send the soldiers through to the next round.
The action switches to the GFC ground tomorrow evening with another sizzling double header; Camptown will take on Golden Grove in the night’s opener followed by the Fruta Conqueror’s/ Mahaica FC showdown.
The teams are aware that they are competing for a first prize of one million dollars with the runners up carting off half that amount. The third and fourth place finishers receive $300,000 and $200,000 respectively.